As it is known, the boxing machines are aimed at boxing articles or packages of articles of different kind; in general, the operations occurring in similar machines include the withdrawal of a tubular blank in flat folded configuration from a magazine, erecting the blank, so that it assumes a parallelepiped rectangular section, introduction, according to a lateral or vertical direction, of articles or packages of articles into the unfolded blank, folding the blank flaps and their mutual sealing, so as to define the bottom and the cover of a corresponding box containing the articles.
It is understood that some of these operations can be carried out in a different order with respect to the described one, or they can have more steps (for example, it can include a first folding of the flaps forming the box bottom, filling of the blank with articles and then, folding the flaps forming the box cover), in relation to the type of machine taken into consideration.
The way of filling of the box being formed remains the same, that is it includes the introduction of the articles, parallel to the axis of the erected tubular blank arranged to be squared.
A similar boxing machine, which is described in the European Patent EP 0 036 399, introduces the articles into the erected blank from one side.
The machine described in the above mentioned patent includes a vertical magazine, containing a plurality of tubular blanks piled up in a flat, horizontal configuration, and having an outlet section situated below in a position corresponding to the pile bottom.
Means for supporting the plurality of blanks are associated to the magazine, so as to allow the withdrawal of one blank at a time from the pile bottom.
A flat folded tubular blank is a blank formed by two superposed sheets set in touch with each other and connected along two opposite ends.
The blank has longitudinal and transversal pre-creasing lines, facilitating its folding, so as to define the lateral walls and edges of a corresponding box.
Each single blank is withdrawn from a pile by suction means, e.g. suction cups, carried by a carriage situated below the magazine and moving between a blank withdrawal station and a container forming and filling station.
The suction cups, defining first and second suction means, are aimed at gripping respectively the two lateral lower walls (first and second lateral wall) of the pile lowermost blank, making the blank disengage from the magazine supporting means, after the carriage movement from the withdrawal station toward the forming and filling station.
The first suction means are activated only for the time necessary for the disengagement of the pile lowermost blank, while the second suction means remain active during the carriage downward translation and during the subsequent forming and filling steps for obtaining the corresponding box.
One end of a first arm is hinged to the carriage, and its other end is articulated to a second arm, formed respectively by a first and second portion, at right angle to each other, and in turn hinged to the apparatus structure.
The arm length and position with respect to the carriage are such as to determine prefixed actions on the blank during the relative erecting operations: actually, the carriage downward translation corresponds to the first arm striking the blank first lateral wall and the gradual erecting of the blank, which reaches the open-squared position in the forming and filling station, with the first and second portions of the second arm parallel respectively to the first and second lateral wall.
Thus, the tubular blank assumes a parallelepiped form, with a rectangular cross-section, and maintains it due to the action of the second suction means and the action of the suction cups (third suction means), mounted on the first portion of the second arm and activated just a moment before the carriage reaches the forming and filling station.
The suction action continues for the time necessary to form the box bottom, to introduce thereinto an ordered pile of articles and to define the box cover.
First and second folding means, identical to each other and operated in different times, are aimed at folding the erected blank flaps, so as to define respectively the bottom and the cover of the corresponding box.
The operations carried out after the blank erecting are as follows: folding the flaps, which define the bottom of the box being formed, introduction of an ordered pile of articles into the blank, folding of the flaps, which define the box cover and pulling the so defined box toward the taping belt, for subsequent sealing operations to conclude the working cycle.
Therefore, the just described apparatus belongs to the type of boxing machine, which withdraws a tubular blank in flat horizontal configuration and erects the latter keeping with its axis oriented horizontal.